THE RETURN OF BENJAMIN LAY Comes to Quintessence

On May 1, Pennsylvania history will come to life in a new play at Quintessence Theatre Group titled The Return of Benjamin Lay by playwright, screenwriter and poet Naomi Wallace and University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History, Marcus Rediker. Presented as a co-production by Quintessence and New York’s Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company, the one-man play starring stage and screen actor Mark Povinelli is inspired by the true story of an 18th-century Quaker man, born a dwarf in Copford, England who emigrated to America and settled in Abington, Pennsylvania. Lay lived his life as an activist revolutionary who fought and advocated for the abolition of slavery in Colonial America. Directed by Ron Daniels, The Return of Benjamin Lay runs from May 1 to 18, with 15 performances on stage at Quintessence Theatre at the Sedgwick. 

It’s 2025. In the silence of a Quaker meeting house, Benjamin Lay (Mark Povinelli) – a shepherd, sailor, radical, and the British Empire’s first abolitionist – returns from the grave almost 300 years after his death, as feisty and unpredictable as ever. The four-foot “David” confronts the “Goliath” of slavery as he demands once again to be readmitted into the Quaker community that disowned him for ideas considered dangerous and disruptive. How far will he go to share his prophetic vision knowing the cost of protest?

Sweeping across the centuries and continents, The Return of Benjamin Lay is an honest and powerful exploration of the life of a radical who became one of the earliest revolutionary abolitionists. The play was first performed at the Finborough Theatre in London in 2023, produced by Arsalan Sattari Productions. It was hailed as “an important groundbreaking play” by Closeup Culture, while Broadway World praised star Mark Povinelli for delivering a ”riveting performance” as the titular radical Quaker. The rolling U.S. premiere co-production of The Return of Benjamin Lay is currently running at Playhouse Creatures Theatre in New York from March 14 to April 6 before it comes to Quintessence in May. The production appeared at Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh from January 31 - February 23 of this year. 

“Philadelphia is a city steeped in history, and some know stories of the local little person who put on anti-slavery protest theater on the streets of colonial Philadelphia by covering himself in blood. Others have heard of the little Quaker who called out Ben Franklin for not joining the abolitionist movement,” shared Quintessence’s Producing Artistic Director Alex Burns. He added, “At a time when protest and civil disobedience fills our campus and town squares, Quintessence is honored to welcome Mark Povinelli and The Return of Benjamin Lay to share the extraordinary life of one of America's first activists and change makers, a Philadelphian who risked all by standing in opposition to the leaders of his country and his Quaker faith to insist upon life and liberty for all.”

Prior to his performance in The Return of Benjamin Lay, Povinelli was most known for his historically acclaimed performance as Torvald Helmer in the Obie Award-winning production of Mabou Mines Dollhouse (St. Ann’s Warehouse and International Tour) as well as the premiere of Martha Clarke’s Belle Epoque (Lincoln Center) in the lead role of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. His previous stage credits include productions presented at the Shakespeare Theater, Radio City Music Hall, and UCLA Live. Povinelli has numerous film credits, with featured roles in Nightmare Alley, Water For Elephants, Mirror Mirror, The Hot Flashes, and My Dinner With Hervé. He became the first little person cast as a series regular on the network sitcom Are You There, Chelsea?, and has guest star credits on several notable TV shows, including Modern Family, Criminal Minds, Boardwalk Empire, Charmed, and Happyish. As a noted social activist, in 2017, Povinelli was elected President of Little People of America, which promotes awareness, advocacy, and medical assistance for individuals with forms of dwarfism. Mark served in that capacity and in 2020 was reelected to a 2nd 3-year term. 

The two co-writers behind The Return of Benjamin Lay have both earned outstanding accolades and awards for their respective work. Naomi Wallace’s plays have been produced in the U.S., the U.K., Europe, and the Middle East, and has received numerous awards including the MacArthur Award, Obie Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Fellowship of Southern Writers Drama Award, Horton Foote Award, Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and the inaugural Windham Campbell Prize for Drama. She previously worked with fellow The Return of Benjamin Lay co-writer Marcus Rediker on her play The Liquid Plain. 

A writer and historian, Rediker is the Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh. His “histories from below,” including The Slave Ship: A Human History, have won several awards, including the George Washington Book Prize, and have been translated into 18 languages worldwide. He is the author of The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist (with David Lester and Paul Buhle) and Prophet Against Slavery: Benjamin Lay, A Graphic Novel. Rediker was also the producer for the prize-winning documentary film Ghosts of Amistad, directed by Tony Tuba. 

The co-production is directed by Ron Daniels, who was named Honorary Associate Director after 15 years of directing many productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has directed productions at numerous theatre companies across the U.S., including The American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge (where he formerly served as the Associate Artistic Director), The Public Theatre in New York City, and The Old Globe in San Diego.

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